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Mt. San Antonio College students Candice Handjojo and Andrew Pastor are two of the 92 community college students throughout the state recently selected for the 2015 All-California Academic teams, chosen by Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international community college honor society.

These students represent some of the best of the 2.8 million students enrolled in California’s community college system.

Handjojo and Pastor, both students in Mt. SAC’s Honors Program, received medallions during the Community College League of California’s awards ceremony held on April 7 at the Sheraton Grand in Sacramento. Selection for the academic teams is based on grades, leadership, and community service.

Handjojo, 20, is a sociology major and carries a 3.94 GPA. She was selected for the All-California Academic Third Team. A West Covina resident, she volunteers as tutor for Schools on Wheels tutoring that provides tutoring services for homeless children and also tutors second-grade children in English, science, and math through Top Kids in Walnut. In addition, she volunteers as a score keeper for National Junior Basketball for area youth.

She sang as a member of Mt. SAC’s concert choir and sings with her church choir in West Covina. She plans to transfer to UC Berkeley or UC Irvine as a sociology major, and eventually become an educational counselor.

Pastor, 20, is a public health major and carries a 4.0 GPA. He was selected for the All-California Academic Third Team. A San Dimas resident, he served as president of the Honors Ambassadors for PTK on campus.

He is a member of the Caduceus Club and the Native American Intertribal Student Association (NAISA) at Mt. SAC, and is a tutor at the college’s Learning Assistance Center. Off campus, he is a percussion instructor at San Dimas High School and is serving an internship with UC Irvine’s Medical Center.

He plans to transfer to UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, or UC Irvine as a public health/microbiology major. He eventually plans to become a physician and work as a global health coordinator.

For the 17th year, Mt. San Antonio College will have the only stage in the world where you can see stars such as Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Queen, David Bowie, and Pharrell Williams together in one show as the Mt. SAC Faculty Association sponsors its annual scholarship fundraiser, “Puttin’ on the Hits.” Show times are Friday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, April 25, at 3 and 7:30 p.m., in the Clarke Theater.

Mt. SAC professors, managers, staff, and students in authentic costumes will impersonate famous celebrities and lip sync their hit tunes. The program showcases several styles of music, including country, swing, R & B, hip-hop, and rock ‘n’ roll.

Last year, the Faculty Association provided over $15,000 for student scholarships. Over its history, “Puttin’ on the Hits” has raised more than $125,000 for scholarships.

Tickets are $25 and up for general admission and $15 for students with student ID.

Mt. San Antonio College will host the 6th Annual Kepler Distinguished Lecture and Scholarship Dinner featuring guest lecturer Dr. Eliot Young on Saturday, April 11, 5 p.m., beginning in the college’s dance studio, building 2T, room 121. All proceeds from the event will go to the Mt. SAC Kepler Astronomy Student Scholarship Program.

Young, a principal scientist with the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, CO, will be the featured speaker for the event. Dr. Young is known for his work in astronomy with stellar occultations and development of maps of Pluto.

His lecture for the evening, “Pluto in Our Sights,” will cover what scientists currently know about Pluto and other similar icy objects in the outer solar system and what they expect to find out from the New Horizons spacecraft set to encounter the dwarf planet for the first time on July 14.

Singcopation, Mt. San Antonio College’s multiple award-winning choral ensemble, and the Bonita High School Jazz Ensemble will highlight the jazz concert presented by the La Verne Cultural Arts Society at 7 p.m. Saturday in The Meeting House at Hillcrest.

Tickets are $20 per person for the concert showcasing the musical talents of teens and young adults in the Inland and San Gabriel valleys. Advance tickets may be purchased through Paypal at www.living@hillcrest.org. If still available, tickets can also be purchased at the door of The Meeting House, 2705 Mountain View Drive.

The Bonita band, directed by instrumental music educator Jeff Bird and including freshmen to senior students, opens the evening with a program featuring songs by Ira and George Gershwin, Billy Strayhorn, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, Doug Beach, Paul Lohorn and Les Hooper.

The Bonita ensemble has performed at concerts, festivals and private parties throughout Southern California. Bird, who completed a bachelor of music education from Ohio’s College of Wooster and a master of music education at the University of North Carolina, has taught at Bonita for 11 years. Also a professional bassist, Bird also plays in XNA, a progressive rock band, and sings lead vocals in The Shepherds of Lies, a Genesis tribute band.

Singcopation, a 13-voice choir, has repeatedly wowed audiences in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia, won a record-setting nine Downbeat jazz magazine national polls as the best collegiate choir in the United States and twice won Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Music Festival. The latter distinction also made Singcopation the nation’s best college jazz choir. It has won standing ovations from pioneering performers, legends and master artists at International Association of Jazz Educators conferences, the L.A. Vocal Jazz Workshop, New York City’s Lincoln Center.

The group recently returned from a successful tour to Guangzhou, China and won the platinum medal at the first Xinghai International Choral Competition.

Two months, the thought of the Mt. San Antonio College winning the California Community College Athletic Association football title seemed remote at best.

Saturday, that was all forgotten.

Justin Alo threw for 283 yards and ran for two touchdowns as Mt. SAC completed its remarkable rise from the ashes of its last loss to championship glory, scoring a 27-17 victory over City College of San Francisco to win the CCCAA title at Hilmer Lodge Stadium.

Derrick Macon and Chris Gilchrist (Charter Oak High School) had 120 and 93 yards receiving, respectively, for the Mounties, who finished 11-2 to win the school’s fourth state title.

Jeramiah Peralta threw for 180 yards and accounted for three touchdowns for San Francisco, which finished 11-2.

It was also the final game at Hilmer Lodge Stadium, which will get a major renovation during the next year.

“I just feel like it was destiny,” Alo said. “Our team was able to persevere. We had a lot of adversity, but we responded. You saw that tonight. We weren’t supposed to be in the playoffs (after losing to Riverside in late October), but we got it done.

“We weren’t worried about what (San Francisco) was doing. We focused on us, and that’s what we did.”

The key play for the Mounties, who led 13-10 at halftime, came early in the second half when Aaren Vaughns returned a punt 84 yards for a 20-10 advantage. Vaughns fielded the punt at his own 16, headed left, slipped a tackle about his 40 and sprinted down the sideline to the end zone.

“Coach said just look for the extra block,” Vaughns said about his return. “I got the extra block and I scored.”

The Mt. San Antonio College Flying Team won the Top Two-Year College Team Trophy for the 24th consecutive year at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association’s regional competition hosted recently by San Diego Christian College at Gillespie Airport in San Diego.

“This year marks the 24th consecutive year our team has won the top community college trophy—a truly incredible run,” said Mt. SAC Flying Team Advisor and Aeronautics Professor Robert Rogus.

The 2014 Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON) is a competition for university and community college flying teams. The regional airmeet featured flying teams from six colleges, including Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, San Jose State University, and the U.S. Air Force Academy with a total of 66 students competing.

In addition to the Top Two-Year School Award, the Mt. SAC team won the Safety Trophy. Individually, Sebastian Plaister (San Dimas) won the instrument flight event and ranked sixth as the overall competitor at the airmeet. Jason Juarez (Ontario) took third in the message drop event.

Overall, Mt. SAC placed fifth with 43 points. The top three regional teams receive invitations to the national competition.

Over the years, the Mt. SAC Flying Team has consistently earned top honors as one of the best collegiate flying teams in the country. The team has won the Top Community College trophy at the regional competition every year since 1991. Mt. SAC has won the Top U. S. Community College award at the national airmeet in 1984, 1985, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014.

Mt. San Antonio College will hold groundbreaking ceremonies for the campus’ new Student Success Center and Food Services Building on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 4 p.m., at the site of the new center, just south of the college’s Design Technology Center, building 13.

The $13.6 million Student Success Center will house the Disabled Student Programs and Services High Tech Center and classrooms, the Veterans Resource Center, the Bridge Program, and a Student Health Center.

“The new center shows an expansion of our programs to meet the needs of our students,” said Mt. SAC Student Services Vice President Audrey Yamagata-Noji. “It really addresses the growth of our programs and our support for student success.”

The three-story building will afford 22,800 square feet for classrooms, study labs, offices, and lab. Construction on the project began in mid-September with a completion date slated for December 2015.

The $12.7 million Food Services Building will replace the current Campus Café. The new 13,500-square-foot facility will seat approximately 90 people for interior dining and over 200 for outside dining on the east, west, and south terraces. The new building will house several food stations, including a deli, a grill station, Asian cuisine, and a coffee shop.

The new Food Services Building is also expected to be completed by December 2015.

The Mt. San Antonio College Student Life Office will hold a Community Volunteer Fair for local organizations that would like to recruit student volunteers on Thursday, Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Student Life Center patio area, building 9C.

The fair provides an opportunity for students to engage in public service, obtain hands-on learning experiences, and make a difference in the community.

Some of the organizations that will participate in this year’s event include the AmeriCorps, Covina Public Library, Inland Empire United Way, House of Ruth, Inland Valley Hope Partners, Just Us 4 Youth, Parent’s Place Family Resource & Empowerment Center, Rowland Unified School District Family Resource Center, Think Together, VITAS Innovative Hospice Care, and more.

Community organizations that would like to participate should call the Mt. SAC Student Life Office at (909) 274-5953.